Everyone has got a story to tell……

This is me today: a young lady whom most are proud of and admire. If it wasn’t for my aunt, who financed my studies until graduation, l might have been a teenage mom like most of the girls in my hood.

I am a girl in my early 20s, born into a family of seven, I was the last one to suck the breasts of my widowed mom.

My mom was a hardworking woman, who crossed several borders in search of greener pastures, so we could afford the basics. As a kid, I spent most of my days in the care of a nanny or my older siblings.

As l grew up, the situation never got any better. Every morning, I wouldn’t bother checking the fridge for food because I knew there was no breakfast for me anyway. I would travel miles and miles to get to school on an empty stomach, but with big dreams in my head, though it was hard to concentrate on my school work.

We lived in the small, high density of the capital, where overcrowding was common. The outside was always a mess, it was like living in a giant garbage can. Well, it’s not like we had any choice, as this was the only place we could afford and it became part of me, somehow.

Growing up wasn’t easy, people would judge me wrongly. At times I would blame my parents for bringing me up under such circumstances but I learnt that I cannot do anything about my past but I can do something about my future.

Looking back, l am proud of where I came from because it challenged me. It reminds me that I have a life to change. I never really allowed my difficulties to rob me of my dreams nor determine my destiny.

[Dear Reader,

Don’t be ashamed to talk about your family, background or the way you were brought up. It might inspire and give hope to someone out there.